What is the difference between yoga and Tai Chi

The most essential difference between yoga and Tai Chi is that their cultural origins and underlying logic of the movement are completely different - yoga originated from the Brahmanical practice system of ancient India. The root meaning of the word is "connection". From the initial physical ascetic practice, it gradually developed into an exercise method that unifies body, mind and soul. The core logic is through active control Controlling the body, adjusting breathing, and ultimately realizing the connection between the individual and the universe; Tai Chi was born out of the traditional Chinese philosophy of yin and yang, integrating the ideas of Taoist health preservation, traditional Chinese medicine meridians and traditional martial arts.

When it comes to physical differences, many fans who have been exposed to both at the same time probably have intuitive feelings. I met a girl in a gym who had been practicing yoga for five years and had just started Tai Chi. She said that when she practiced Ashtanga flow yoga before, her focus was entirely on the extension of the muscles and the precise alignment of the postures. Even in the most basic downward dog pose, she had to always adjust the intensity of the heels on the ground and the expansion of the shoulder blades. Angle, the movement will go out of shape if she relaxes a little; but when learning Tai Chi to get up, the master's first words are to let her lower her shoulders and not tense her back like practicing yoga. When using the waist and hip straps, she should follow the force. If any muscle is tight, it will be wrong. "You are competing with yourself, Tai Chi allows you to follow your own force."

Of course, in the past two years, many people feel that there is not much difference between the two. There are even "Tai Chi Yoga" fusion classes offered in the gym. To be honest, it is actually the convergence brought about by modern commercial improvements - many popular health yogas have long weakened their original religious and spiritual attributes, and focus on stretching. Relaxation and improving posture seem to have the same goal as simplified Tai Chi, which also focuses on health care; there are also many competitive Tai Chi routines, which now also pursue standard movements and graceful postures, and are not much different from the scoring logic of competitive yoga. These are the results of acquired improvements and cannot be regarded as the original difference between the two.

Interestingly, if you pay attention to the sweating status of the two after practice, the difference is quite obvious. Last week, I accompanied my colleague to a hot yoga session. After 60 minutes, sweat dripped down my elbows. The tightness in my shoulders and neck disappeared immediately after the exercise, but my arms were sore for two days. Last Saturday morning, I went for a walk in the park, and then I did Yang Style Tai Chi for 40 minutes. There was only a thin layer of sweat on my back, and it was still a little cold when the wind blew. I didn't feel tired, but my steps were much heavier than usual. I fell asleep in 10 minutes in bed that night, more than half an hour faster than usual.

In fact, in the final analysis, both sports are treasures grown in their respective cultural soils, and there is no distinction between high and low. If you want to quickly improve the posture problems caused by sitting for a long time and improve physical flexibility, choosing a professional yoga studio will have quick results; if you are prone to anxiety and want to slowly adjust your body's state, find a reliable Tai Chi master to practice with it. It may be more effective than taking health supplements, so just choose the one that suits you.